Some blocks in the 7th Ward got an early spring cleanup on Tuesday.
Dozens of people picked up trash at the request of South Shore building owner Christopher Amatore. He offered a flat fee for anyone who helped.
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“At the end of the day, I think it’s a beautiful thing. We are cleaning up the neighborhood,” Amatore said.
Rob Reed, a nearby resident, was glad to see the improvements.
“They did a good job. You all did a good job keep up the good work,” Reed said.
Amatore is former Chicago firefighter turned real estate investor who took in nearly 500 Venezuelans to vacant apartments in 15 of his buildings. He also said he spent thousands of dollars of his own money to get the migrants food. At least two of buildings are in Alderman Greg Mitchell’s 7th Ward.
Amatore claims that at a meeting last week, Mitchell threatened Amatore with taking away a city contract and his wellbeing for housing the migrants without the alderman’s approval.